[no subject]

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Reuters) - A Princeton University
music professor claims his hearing was damaged by an
ear-splitting performance by the rock band Smashing
Pumpkins, even though he was wearing earplugs, his lawyer
said Wednesday.
Peter Jeffrey, 45, is suing the members of the alternative
rock
band, the city of New Haven and the New Haven Coliseum,
where the concert took place in January 1997.
Also named in the suit, filed in New Haven Superior Court,
are the bands Fountains of Wayne and the Frogs, as well as
earplug maker Siebe North Inc., lawyer Anthony Wallace
told Reuters.
Jeffrey "has chronic tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears)
and also suffers from sleep deprivation," Wallace said. "He's
a music professor at Princeton, so the effect on his research
is (severe)."
The suit seeks an unspecified amount of damages.
"There's definitely a breach of duty by either the bands or
the
coliseum, so I think we've got a good case," Wallace said.
Smashing Pumpkins could not immediately be reached for
comment, according to a spokeswoman for their label, Virgin
Records.
Neither could New Haven officials or a representative of the
earplug company.
Jeffrey, who specializes in Gregorian chant, attended the
rock show for about 20 minutes to look for his son, Wallace
said. He was wearing earplugs.
After leaving the auditorium, the professor felt a sharp pain
in his left ear, followed by nausea and dizziness, Wallace
said.
Jeffrey, who lives in Guilford, Connecticut, hopes his suit
will make young people more aware of the dangers of loud
music, Wallace said.